Heliotropum - Dwarf Marine
Once you've experienced the sweet, pungent scent coming from Heliotrope, or 'cherry pie' as it is commonly called, on a still summer evening you won't want to be without it. Just a few plants can fill the air with such a heady fragrance as this. Dwarf Marine is a royal purple, large-flowered yet compact form with attractive, dark green foliage and a bushy habit. It is excellent for beds, borders and as a summer flowering pot plant and flowers in the summer. Height 45cm.
Sow in February to March, 1.5mm deep in a good free draining seed compost, which should be moist but not over wet. Germination takes 14-21 days at 20-25C. Lowering the temperature at night helps germination. Transplant when large enough to handle into 7.5cm pots and grow on in cooler conditions. When 1-13cm tall pinch out the growing point and repeat when the side shoots reach the same length to make them bushy. Gradually acclimatise to outdoors. Can be grown as pot plants in 13cm pots but do not feed. For maximum scent, grow in a warm sunny sheltered spot.